Civic Soul presents benchmarking findings to South Burlington committee; workforce, housing and climate emerge as priorities

Civic Soul presented preliminary findings from its economic-development benchmarking and engagement work to the South Burlington City Economic Development Committee at a public meeting, laying out data the consultant said will shape a multi-year strategy focused on workforce, housing, and community values.

Laura Hoffman, CEO of Civic Soul, told the committee the firm is recommending a broader approach to economic development that leads with workforce and quality-of-life issues rather than only company attraction. “If you lead with building a vibrant workforce versus company attraction, you can get to a more interesting and a more positive place,” Hoffman said.

The presentation summarized the consultant’s benchmarking of South Burlington against peers and regional measures and previewed next steps in stakeholder engagement. Key findings Hoffman highlighted included: South Burlington’s population grew about 8% from 2018 to 2023 and the city ranks near the top of the peer set with a population of roughly 20,488; household sizes are trending smaller than the U.S. average; the city’s foreign‑born share is about 11%; job growth (2018–2023) was reported at about 10.8%, outpacing population growth; and the city’s median age is about 38.8. Hoffman also said the city has a highly educated workforce and a younger-than-average population relative to the state.

Hoffman stressed tradeoffs and implementation as the plan’s focus: the final product will include a fact base, an iterative stakeholder engagement process, and a multiyear implementation plan with year‑by‑year priorities and accountability measures. “This is your plan,” she said, urging community involvement in refining objectives and tactics.

Committee members and residents pressed consultants and staff for more detail and local context. Steve Crowley, chair of the Energy Committee, asked the team to place city figures in the context of Chittenden County; Ryan Doyle asked for clarification about the metropolitan statistical area (MSA) used to adjust cost‑of‑living figures (the presentation used the Chittenden–Franklin–Grand Isle MSA). The consultant and staff agreed to follow up with more detail and data adjustments after the meeting.

Several public commenters emphasized climate and conservation goals as success measures. Donna Laban urged the committee to measure economic development by whether it helps the city meet its climate action goals: “I would try to measure future economic development success related to how well does it help us reach our climate action goals,” Laban said. Committee members and the consultant indicated climate action and conservation would be embedded across sector targets rather than treated as a separate, stand‑alone pillar.

The presentation also reviewed affordability and housing signals. Hoffman said home values roughly matched peer benchmarks (the presentation cited a median home value figure in the slide deck) while rents were “significantly higher than expected,” and that when adjusted for regional cost of living the city is relatively competitive. Several commenters, including Lisa Yankowski and Mike (last name not specified), asked the team to analyze how much employment is local versus remote and how workforce pathways can be built for trades and essential services. Civic Soul said it will examine career‑pathway and credentialing options—especially for construction and skilled trades—alongside strategies to retain graduates and younger residents.

Other stakeholder questions focused on public engagement and sample sizes. Peter Taylor asked how the consultant had assessed broad public sentiment given historically low turnout on some local surveys; Hoffman said the engagement list was curated and that the project includes roundtables, about 20 one‑on‑one interviews to date, and upcoming sector conversations to broaden participation.

The meeting closed with a note on next steps: Civic Soul will launch sector roundtables and return with additional analysis; staff agreed to provide follow‑up data on the MSA adjustments and cost‑of‑living methodology; and the committee said it expects the consultant to recommend measurable indicators and a dashboard for tracking progress. The project team noted the committee’s May meeting will further examine workforce and related housing needs.